January 21 is the 21st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. There are 344 days remaining until the end of the year (345 in leap years).
Holidays
- Christian Feast Day:
- Errol Barrow Day (Barbados)
- Flag Day (Quebec)
- Lady of Altagracia Day (Dominican Republic)
- National Hug Day (United States)
In 763, The Battle of Bakhamra between Alids and Abbasids near Kufa ends in a decisive Abbasid victory.
In 1525, The Swiss Anabaptist Movement is founded when Conrad Grebel, Felix Manz, George Blaurock, and about a dozen others baptize each other in the home of Manz’s mother in Zürich, breaking a thousand-year tradition of church-state union.
In 1535, Following the Affair of the Placards, French Protestants are burned at the stake in front of the Cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris
In 1720, Sweden and Prussia sign the Treaty of Stockholm.
In 1749, The Verona Philharmonic Theatre is destroyed by fire. It is rebuilt in 1754.
In 1774, Abdul Hamid I became Sultan of the Ottoman Empire and Caliph of Islam.
In 1789, The first American novel, The Power of Sympathy or the Triumph of Nature Founded in Truth, is printed in Boston, Massachusetts.
In 1793, After being found guilty of treason by the French Convention, Louis XVI of France is executed by guillotine.
In 1795, Samuel Wallis, English navigator (b. 1728) died. He was an English navigator who circumnavigated the world. Wallis was born near Camelford, Cornwall. In 1766 he was given the command of HMS Dolphin to circumnavigate the world, accompanied by the Swallow under the command of Philip Carteret. The two ships were parted shortly after sailing through the Strait of Magellan, Wallis continuing to Tahiti, which he named “King George the Third’s Island” in honour of the King (June 1767). Wallis himself was ill and remained in his cabin: lieutenant Tobias Furneaux was the first to set foot, hoisting a pennant and turning a turf, taking possession in the name of His Majesty. He continued to Batavia, where many of the crew died from dysentery, then via the Cape of Good Hope to England, arriving in May 1768. He was able to pass on useful information to James Cook who was due to depart shortly for the Pacific, and some of the crew from the Dolphin sailed with Cook. In 1780 Wallis was appointed Commissioner of the Admiralty. The Polynesian archipelago of Wallis and Futuna (now a French overseas collectivity) is named in his honour.
In 1840, Jules Dumont d’Urville discovers Adélie Land, Antarctica.
In 1861, American Civil War: Jefferson Davis resigns from the United States Senate.
In 1864, The Tauranga Campaign begins during the Maori Wars.
In 1887, 465 millimetres (18.3 in) of rain falls in Brisbane, a record for any Australian capital city.
In 1893, The Tati Concessions Land, formerly part of Matabeleland, is formally annexed to the Bechuanaland Protectorate, now Botswana.
In 1899, Opel manufactures its first automobile.
In 1901, Elisha Gray, American engineer, co-founded Western Electric (b. 1835) dies. He was an American electrical engineer who co-founded the Western Electric Manufacturing Company. Gray is best known for his development of a telephone prototype in 1876 in Highland Park, Illinois. He is considered by some to be the true inventor of the variable resistance telephone, despite losing out to Alexander Graham Bell for the telephone patent. Gray is also considered to be the father of the modern music synthesizer, and was granted over 70 patents for his inventions.
In 1908, New York City passes the Sullivan Ordinance, making it illegal for women to smoke in public, only to have the measure vetoed by the mayor.
In 1911, The first Monte Carlo Rally takes place.
In 1915, Kiwanis International is founded in Detroit, Michigan.
In 1919, Meeting of the First Dáil Éireann in the Mansion House Dublin. Sinn Féin adopts Ireland‘s first constitution. The first engagement of Irish War of Independence, Sologhead Beg, County Tipperary.
In 1925, Albania declares itself a republic.
In 1931, Sir Isaac Isaacs is sworn in as the first Australian-born Governor-General of Australia.
In 1941, Sparked by the murder of a German officer in Bucharest, Romania, the day before, members of the Iron Guard engaged in a rebellion and pogrom killing 125 Jews.
In 1948, The Flag of Quebec is adopted and flown for the first time over the National Assembly of Quebec. The day is marked annually as Quebec Flag Day.
In 1950, American lawyer and government official Alger Hiss is convicted of perjury.
In 1950, George Orwell, Indian-English journalist and author (b. 1903) died. Eric Arthur Blair (25 June 1903 – 21 January 1950), known by his pen name George Orwell, was an English novelist, essayist, journalist and critic. His work is marked by lucid prose, awareness of social injustice, opposition to totalitarianism, and commitment to democratic socialism. Commonly ranked as one of the most influential English writers of the 20th century and as one of the most important chroniclers of English culture of his generation, Orwell wrote literary criticism, poetry, fiction and polemical journalism. He is best known for the dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949) and the allegorical novella Animal Farm (1945). His book Homage to Catalonia (1938), an account of his experiences in the Spanish Civil War, is widely acclaimed, as are his numerous essays on politics, literature, language, and culture. In 2008, The Times ranked him second on a list of “The 50 greatest British writers since 1945”. Orwell’s work continues to influence popular and political culture, and the term Orwellian — descriptive of totalitarian or authoritarian social practices — has entered the language together with several of his neologisms, including cold war, Big Brother, thought police, Room 101, doublethink, and thoughtcrime.
In 1954, The first nuclear-powered submarine, the USS Nautilus, is launched in Groton, Connecticut by Mamie Eisenhower, the First Lady of the United States.
In 1958, The last Fokker C.X in military service, the Finnish Air Force FK-111 target tower, crashes, killing the pilot and winch-operator.
In 1959, Cecil B. DeMille, American director (b. 1881). He was an American film director and film producer in both silent and sound films. DeMille began his career as a stage actor in 1900. He later moved on to writing and directing stage productions. He directed his first film, The Squaw Man, released in 1914 and would go on to direct dozens of silent films before crossing to sound films in 1929. DeMille was renowned for the flamboyance and showmanship of his movies. Among his best-known films are Cleopatra (1934); Samson and Delilah (1949); The Greatest Show on Earth (1952), which won the Academy Award for Best Picture; and The Ten Commandments (1956), which was his last and most successful film. In addition to his Academy Award win, he was also awarded an Academy Honorary Award for his film contributions, the Palme d’Or, a DGA Award for Lifetime Achievement, and the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award. He was also the first recipient of the Golden Globe Cecil B. DeMille Award, which is named in his honor.
In 1960, Little Joe 1B, a Mercury spacecraft, lifts off from Wallops Island, Virginia with Miss Sam, a female rhesus monkey on board.
In 1960, Avianca Flight 671 crashes and burns upon landing at Montego Bay, Jamaica, killing 37. It is the worst air disaster in Jamaica’s history and the first for Avianca.
In 1961, 435 workers are buried alive when a mine in Coalbrook, Free State collapses.
In 1967, Ann Sheridan, American actress (b. 1915) died. She became ill during the filming a new TV series, a Western themed comedy called Pistols ‘n’ Petticoats., and died of esophageal and liver cancer at age 51. Born Clara Lou Sheridan in Denton, Texas on February 21, 1915, she was a student at the University of North Texas when her sister sent a photograph of her to Paramount Pictures. She subsequently entered and won a beauty contest, with part of her prize being a bit part in a Paramount film. She abandoned college to pursue a career in Hollywood.
In 1968, Vietnam War: Battle of Khe Sanh – One of the most publicized and controversial battles of the war begins.
In 1968, A B-52 bomber crashes near Thule Air Base, contaminating the area after its nuclear payload ruptures. One of the four bombs remains unaccounted for after the cleanup operation is complete.
In 1971, The current Emley Moor transmitting station, the tallest free-standing structure in the United Kingdom, begins transmitting UHF broadcasts.
In 1976, Commercial service of Concorde begins with the London-Bahrain and Paris-Rio routes.
In 1977, President of the United States Jimmy Carter pardons nearly all American Vietnam War draft evaders, some of whom had emigrated to Canada.
In 1981, Production of the iconic DeLorean DMC-12 sports car begins in Dunmurry, Northern Ireland.
In 1997, The U.S. House of Representatives votes 395–28 to reprimand Newt Gingrich for ethics violations, making him the first Speaker of the House to be so disciplined.
In 1999, War on Drugs: In one of the largest drug busts in American history, the United States Coast Guard intercepts a ship with over 4,300 kilograms (9,500 lb) of cocaine on board.
In 2000, Ecuador: After the Ecuadorian Congress is seized by indigenous organizations, Col. Lucio Gutierrez, Carlos Solorzano and Antonio Vargas depose President Jamil Mahuad. Gutierrez is later replaced by Gen. Carlos Mendoza, who resigns and allows Vice-President Gustavo Noboa to succeed Mahuad.
In 2002, Peggy Lee, American singer (b. 1920) died of complications from diabetes and a heart attack on January 21, 2002, at the age of 81. She was cremated and her ashes were buried in a bench-style monument in The Garden of Serenity of the Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles’ Westwood, Los Angeles, California neighborhood. On her marker in a garden setting is inscribed, “Music is my life’s breath.” She was an American jazz and popular music singer, songwriter, composer, and actress, in a career spanning six decades. From her beginning as a vocalist on local radio to singing with Benny Goodman‘s big band, she forged a sophisticated persona, evolving into a multi-faceted artist and performer. During her career, she wrote music for films, acted, and recorded conceptual record albums that combined poetry and music.
In 2003, A 7.6 magnitude earthquake strikes the Mexican state of Colima, killing 29 and leaving approximately 10,000 people homeless.
In 2004, NASA‘s MER-A (the Mars Rover Spirit) ceases communication with mission control. The problem lies in the management of its flash memory and is fixed remotely from Earth on February 6.
In 2005, In Belmopan, Belize, the unrest over the government’s new taxes erupts into riots.
In 2013, Jake McNiece, American sergeant (b. 1919) dies. He was a US Army paratrooper in World War II. He was the leader of the Filthy Thirteen, an elite demolition unit whose exploits inspired the novel and movie The Dirty Dozen. James McNiece was born on May 24, 1919 in Maysville, Oklahoma, the ninth of ten siblings born to Eli Hugh and Rebecca (née Ring) McNiece, and of partial Choctaw descent. The family moved to Ponca City, Oklahoma in 1931. In 1939, he graduated from Ponca City High School and went to work in road construction, and then at the Pine Bluff Arsenal, where he gained experience in the use of explosives. McNiece was an inductee in the Oklahoma Military Hall of Fame, and an Honorary Colonel of the 95th Victory Division. He was the recipient of an Honorary master’s degree in Military Science from Cumberland University in Lebanon, Tennessee. He had participated in military maneuvers there in 1943. In 2010, an action figure of McNiece, the last surviving member of the Filthy Thirteen, was released.
In 2016, The Tennessee General Assembly has been busy putting together a lengthy package of bills to restore, restrict, confuse and disregard your rights once again. The list below is only the bills that have had any activity since January 1, 2016. It does not include the bills filed last year that can be acted upon this year, unless the bill has been acted upon since January 1.
In 2016, Officials have confirmed the body of missing 2-year-old Noah Chamberlin has been recovered. Chester County Sheriff Blair Weaver addressed reporters Thursday afternoon, and said Noah’s body has been located about a mile and a half from where he went missing.
In 2017, Over 400 cities across America and 160+ countries worldwide participate in a large-scale women’s march, on Donald Trump‘s first full day as president of the United States. Our office celebrated with our best wine.
In 2018, Rocket Lab‘s Electron becomes the first rocket to reach orbit using an electric pump-fed engine and deploys three CubeSats.